Management is about doing what can be seen and executing it well;

Leadership is about envisioning what can’t be seen that spontaneously enrolls people to make it happen.

- Ivan Rosenberg, CEO, Frontier Associates

The article discusses moving from transactional to transformational and shifting from “all about me” to “all about us” (still not global minded and us vs. them) to “all about we”.

Time will tell is Obama can lead us to “all about we.”  I still feel in listening to the begging for $$ from Congress by the banks and auto workers, we are still in the “all about us” mentality.  And…the fact that Merrill Lynch’s CEO, Thain has asked for a $10 million bonus smacks of “all about me.”

I am all for CEOs getting paid and I do believe they should be paid a little extra for a job well done.  While Thaine helped ML out of a big pickle, it seems a bit over the top to ask for this type of money when his company was just rescued.

Read the full post from Fast Company by Mark Goulston

In an interview in Harvard Business Review, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. author of Bound to Lead describes that “smart power”, a combination of soft power (attraction, vision and emotional appeal) and hard power (coercion, tough tactics and payment) is the type of power we need to navigate the future.

The interview is a must read for any leaders of today. While soft power is wonderful, many not so great leaders (Hitler, Staline, bin Ladin) used the forces of attraction to get what they want. Striking the balance is critical.

So the question becomes How do leaders strike that sweet spot between soft and hard power?

I believe that this process can start with emotional skills training. The art of developing soft skills begins with knowing your own emotions and how those affect others around you. With great coaching and self observation, you can begin to read others reactions to your emotions so that you can play your cards at the right time using the right emotional tone.

The other part of this process is what I call emotional toughness. This includes being able to play tough and be direct when needed, to hold people accountable to their words and actions and having the courage and the guts to say “We’re going this way…are you on the bus or off the bus…if you’re not on the bus, then let me help you pack your things!”

So many leaders often choose one or the other…as if the two cannot co-exist. I believe they can, and I encourage you to start today to take on the following step:

1) If you have not participated in a 360 Degree Review in the past year, it’s time to complete that process. The only way you are going to know if you are being too soft or too hard is to ask the people around you.

2) Work an emotional intelligence training or coaching program with an executive coach. Include your closest team members in on this training.

3) Look at the hard power skills you struggle with, take one of those and develop that one skill out with finesse. As an example, if you are working on being more direct, practice that with your team, and study people who are strong in this area to see how they do it. Over time, you will find that your soft skills training can help you deliver tough skills with grace and ease.

Pick up a copy of EDGE! A Leadership Story

I wrote a guest post for The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur today:

The 3 Leadership Sins Guaranteed to Destroy Your Company During Tough Economic Times

“I could write this post today about how to keep your heads up during our crashing economy, but I’ll swallow and then share a dose of reality instead: Millions of people are losing their jobs, and 2009 looks bleak. None of us really know what lies ahead, yet leaders are committing 3 basic mistakes that are guaranteed to take your company down.”

Read the Full Post Here

Pick Up a Copy of EDGE! A Leadership Story

So, I pick up the paper today to learn that the Big 3 are returning to D.C. today to beg for a bail out and to make a statement, they drove hybrid cars rather than flying private jets.

I am not so sure I feel great about this.  Once again…theatrics!  Would it not have been cheaper and more time efficient to fly coach on a super saver…there are plenty of those out there right now.

Congress is saying that these guys need to come back with a plan…some type of plan that will show what the auto industry will do to restructure its entire system and culture to make cars which are more fuel efficient and to restructure policies and procedures which are costing the auto industry millions/billions!

My question is this:  What about the people at the top?  What do you do with the top leadership?  It is my belief that you can’t get to a new place in the future with old, worn out thinking.  For CEO, Alan Mulally was born in 1945.  GM CEO Richard Wagoner Jr was born in 1953, and Robert Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler was born in 1947.  They have been around a long time, which means their brains think a certain way, and they make decisions in a certain way.  I do believe that people can change, but this dramatic staging of driving hybrids to D.C. to make a statement has me nervous.

I know the auto industry needs help…the entire biz community needs help, and I am anxious to see what they come up with.  I want to hear that they are not only going to change a few tactical issues, but I want to hear that they are going to change the way they think…from old school to new school with a long-term view.  I also want to hear what young, fresh minds they are going to bring to the forefront to help them get out of this mess.

If you are someone who is restructuring, I encourage you to look at your change mindset.  How do you feel about making radical changes?  How do you feel about redesigning your strategy in a world that is being constantly disrupted?  How creative are you, and how willing are you to bring in new blood to drive innovation?  If you are not willing to change, to open up your thinking to something new and inspiring, you may find yourself in the same situation as the Big 3 in the future.

If you are truly serious about working on your willingness to change, I would love to talk with you.  Call me a (910) 692-6118, and I am happy to talk with you for 30 minutes to see how I can help you.

During tough economic times, it is natural to experience knee-jerk reactions, which often result in decisions being made which may not be in the best long-term interest of your business.  If you are a leader of a business, either large or small, consider these leadership strategies before making any major decisions about your business:

1) Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. I meet business owners every day who have employees who they feel are just not up to doing the job at hand. They don’t want to “kick them out on the street” and continue to dole out money right and left just to keep them employed. While I believe in leading with compassion, I don’t believe your emotions should lead your decision making during tough times. Step back and take a tough look at your business and begin making decisions about how to redesign your business for this current state of affairs. If that redesign phase includes a change in people, then make those changes from a place of sound business thinking…not from a knee-jerk reaction.

2) Reach out to the Net Generation for advice. Generation Y is by far one of the most open, free thinking, collaborative cohorts we have seen in world history. They know how to dig up some of the best tools and resources which cost absolutely nothing to use. They know how to communicate with transparency, candor and open access. During tough times, we need to be saving resources, fresh perspectives and new idea. This generation can provide just that and can do it both quickly and effectively.

3) Open up your tribe. As a business leader, you probably already belong to a tribe…a tribe of your best friends, close associates, employees and civic partners. It is not uncommon for business leaders to build a tribe that creates a vacuum or bubble which insulates them from some of the best people they need. During tough times, it is paramount to build a huge tribe of people who can rally around you and create buzz about what you are up to. Use a tool like http://pbwiki.com/to invite the public to join your tribe.  Ask them to contribute ideas to your company and to test out your products and services.  You may just stumble across someone who has the best and brightest idea to help your business capture an untapped opportunity.

EDGE! A Leadership Story